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Vanessa Daren
Before continuing further, the author of this page would like to make it known that she is in no way associated with the original creator of the Percy Jackson series, Neither do I make any profits off of this article unless you count the enjoyment of writing as a profit. Vanessa is my own personal character, so please do not make any edits to this article without either contacting me or getting my approval first. Pictures are courtesy of Photobucket, any stories involving more Greek myths would be most helpful. :) ~ Fall3nD011 (talk) 04:43, September 26, 2013 (UTC) 'Vanessa Elizabeth "Lizzy" Daren: ' Vanessa is a Greek Demi-god, the first and only known to be related to the goddess of the night. She is also related to the Oneiroi (Morpheus, Phantasos, Phoebetor), and Hypnos. Vanessa is a member of Camp Half-Blood, and is the daughter and acknowledged champion of Nyx, the goddess of Night and Alexander Daren. Out of most of the young half-bloods who attend camp, she has lived inside the barrier the longest to-date as she was found around the age of five by Chiron-who wazs approached by Nyx with the request of finding her. She is a former member of the Hermes cabin, and is also best friends with the Stoll brothers. At one point in time Vanessa was a friend to Luke Castellan before his betrayal, however she refused his offer to join him. 'Early life: ' Vanessa is the soul-living half-human child of Nyx. There was much scrutiny about her being allowed in the camp by the staff at first, as she was much younger than the average Demi-god when originally brought to Camp half-blood, and secondly because she is a direct descendant of Chaos. However, this despute was eventually dropped as no one was willing to argue with one of the oldest goddess's on the matter of her daughter's wellfare. Before she was rescued, Vanessa was kept as a test subject inside of a privately-owned facility studying abnormal genes in humans- on account of the wings she was born with. Vanessa's parents met thanks largely to an incident with the Oneirois, rather than Eros's direct intervention- although the god of love admitted to "shooting an arrow their way" when it became apparent that their hearts were aligned. The Oneirois were the dark-winged Daimones, or spirit-like gods of dreams, as well as the grandsons of Nyx. In legends, they emerge each night like a flock of bats from their cavernous home in Erebos, the land of eternal darkness beyond the rising sun, and a stone-throw away from the Underworld. Hypnos was said to live with them to, from time to time, and travel with them on his way to perform his duties. Normally, it is an Oneiroi's job to deliver peaceful dreams to a human, either bringing back glimpses of memories from the past that pleased them or dreams that soothed them. They also send messages to traveling heroes from the gods while the heros slept. The Oneirois would reach the dreamers by traveling through two gates, the "Pylai Gates," in Erebos. One gate was made of horn, and is the place where the prophetic messages of the gods are shaped and given to the Oneirois to deliver. The other is made of Ivory, which leads to the minds and hearts of people whose dreams were either without meaning or nightmares. Vanessa's human father, Alexander Daren, worked as a musician in several pubs in downtown London, England. Alexander's dreams are believed to be what attracted Nyx to him in her time spent filling in for Morpheus-as he would often immerse himself in either his songs or dreams when he needed a break from reality. For whatever reason, a seemingly accidental connection was formed between Nyx and Alexander on one of these routine "false" dreams, when the goddess agreed to stand in for her son Morpheus- who had pleaded for some rare time off from his duties for personal reasons. Inside of Alexander's dreams, Nyx continued to visit him even after her time filling in for Morpheus was over, and would send her human lover a single image of a blooming flower every night. Eventually she revealed herself to Alexander-and he accepted her. They courted each other for several years. Alexander eventually proposed, and the two were married in secret-only Nyx's closest relatives and Alexander's best friend,a former member of camp half-blood, were aware of their union at the time. But because she is a creature of night, Nyx could not stay in the mortal realm, and was eventually asked by Zeus to return immediately when their marriage was discovered. Like many other immortals, Nyx was forced to leave behind her husband. Desperate and obsessed with finding her, Alexander forsook his own health, and scraped together what money he had to travel in search of her- but was unable to find or contact his wife. Seven months later- Alexander was woken by the sounds of mewling from his front door. To his surprise, there was a small baby girl, barely three days old, wrapped in a dark shrowd with star-like patterns that dazzled the eyes. He recognized the shrowd as something Nyx had worn when they first met- and immediately took his daughter inside his flat. Still saddened with the loss of his wife, but hopeful now that the safety of their baby daughter was confirmed for the time, Alexander focused on looking after his daughter- however all good things must come to an end. About a year after finding her, Alexander fell ill. He suffered from stomach cancer, and was forced to entrust the care of his daughter to his mother when he could no longer look after her himself. He explained that the infant Vanessa was "unique," and that she was not to untie the shawl from her until he'd had time to rest and explain about her mother. But after awhile, when Alexander was asleep from the painkillers, the old woman couldn't help herself-and unwrapped the shawl, discovering to her horror that the child had two black wings coming from the place just above her shoulder blades. As Alexander had never told the entire truth about Vanessa's birth- having sworn not to reveal Nyx's identity to anyone as long as they were together- the dying man couldn't tell his mother her story before. When she saw the wings, Vanessa's grandmother believed the child was mutilated or cursed. She took the baby to a hospital far from their house, and dumped the child on the doorsteps, believing she was saving her son by sacrificing her granddaughter to whatever fate may be. There was no way to hide her wings once that piece of cloth was unwrapped, as the few non-humans working at the hospital weren't strong enough to intervene without revealing themselves, the human doctors and nurses in the hospital were able to see Vanessa's wings. The newborn was taken away before word got out to the public, and sent to to the Rutledge Private Clinic & Institute-a privately owned and sponsored academy that was infamously known for conducting research on mutations in the human body, and studying the "paranormal." The doctors there were using the patients they supposedly "cured" as lab rats in the name of their research-in other words, they tortured them. Because of the multiple experiments and operations she was put through, Vanessa has multiple scars over her back and torso in criss-cross patterns. She often wears long-sleeved clothing articles to hide these from her fellow Camp members, or uses the mist to hide them as well as her wings, which appear as a tattoo when she is using the mist. Alexander tried hard to get her back, but his sickness was too great. He died before he could finalize the papers for a court hearing to win his daughter back from the clinic. When Nyx learned of Alexander's death, and the roll her late-husband's mother had played in the loss of her child, she was furious. Seeking out Chiron, she pleaded with him to find her daughter, as Zeus's decree stopped her from doing so herself. Shaken by seeing a strong goddess like Nyx pleading, he agreed out of sympathy, and out of concern for what Nyx might do if she was refused. Chiron enlisted the assistance of several satyr's and Hermes, as he was the god of traveling as well as a mastermind, and traveled to England to track down the whereabouts of the young girl. They made it in time to rescue her before the head doctor could perform his final experiment-the process of which would have likely killed Vanessa if he was successful. Hermes stopped this by using his powers, buying Chiron time to carry the girl out of the building as the satyr's shielded them. After being taken in by camp Half-blood, she was placed in intensive care- and was put on bed rest until the child was well enough to be moved. Hermes consented to having her put in his cabin for a time, as no one there would question a sudden arrival like Vanessa. Chiron saw to it that the girl was taught properly, but being as young as she was in comparison to the other half-bloods at the camp when she first arrived, Vanessa was often left on her own as a child, and was not allowed to compete in some of the more risky training exercises until she was older. She would often watch on the sidelines though- and it would seem she learned how to best several of the excersizes by viewing her peer's attempts-as when she was eleven and challenged by a member of the Ares camp she beat the excersize course with ease. Vanessa has not had any direct contact with her mother, but she has had contact with her older brother Hypnos, Morpheus (before he was drawn to Kronos's side), Pheobus and Phantasos-and it is believed she has crossed paths with Thanatos at some point after Frank freed him. She also has an older sister, Hemura, the goddess of daytime. Chiron suspected that several of these siblings were teaching the young demi-god how to control some of her powers in the dreamworld, as Vanessa was reported talking to someone when she was in a deep state of sleep several times. Since It was only the parent of the demi-gods that were banned, and not any immortal siblings, and as no one save the Oneirois can truly control what happens in dreams, several of the more mischievious members of Vanessa's family took advantage of both these loopholes in order to see her. It was later found out that Vanessa also has passed along several messages from parent to child and child to parent between several of the demi-gods in the camp who are descended from her family, such as Clovis, so that they can stay more connected to their parents. At some point she became acquainted with Luke Castellan as well as the Stoll brothers after their arrival to camp. For a time, Vanessa was friends with Luke, but the two eventually grew apart as she was closer to Travis and Connor in temperament and interests. One notable memory would be when, for Father's day, Vanessa convinced the brothers to make and sign a card for Hermes. Since it was a holiday gift and something that would be delivered, she reasoned that it would be acceptable for them to send a card to their parents-ergo finding a valid loophole in Zeus's decree. They took the hand-made cards to a satyr who had agreed to deliver them for the children-but not before word spread through the camp of the trio's idea, which caught like wildfire. Before the surprised satyr knew it he was delivering three entire bagfuls of letters from the entire camp to their parents-each twice his size. Vanessa is also believed to be a "helping party" in the chocolate-bunny incident on the Demeter cabin roof-and is possibly the source they got the chocolates from, as she has a notable fondness for it. Because of this, many of the members of Demeter's cabin tend to view her in the same regard as the Stoll brothers. Vanessa is also the one who wound up with the golden mango when Lacy threw it to her out of Aphrodite's cabin window when Vanessa was passing by. Vanessa snapped a picture of it, thinking it was hilarious, and then washed and sliced the fruit to share with other members around the camp. Trouble ensued when Percy, the brothers, and several other members of the Hermes cabin discovered Vanessa's wings after an accident during a survival excersize. Vanessa was forced to dive over a waterfall to help a younger student who had gotten pushed into the river during a scuffle that had gotten out of control, and was able to carry the younger teen to safety-but not without revealing her identity and wings to the camp members who witnessed it. Mr. D was forced to explain Vanessa's story to the children who had seen them, as they demanded to know if she was a true demi-god or a monster. Travis and Connor handled Vanessa's story the best, having come to know her for herself as a person-and made the other campers who saw Vanessa's wings swear to secrecy. They then confronted Vanessa in the healer's cabin where she was resting and explained that no one would tell anyone else in the camp of her wings unless she wanted them to. However, the brother's explained that she owed them personally a free flight around the forest when she was strong enough to carry them- as their father had been one of the people to save her, and now they were helping her. Vanessa agreed to this deal-and since that time the friends seem to have made up. After Luke's betrayal Vanessa showed signs of emotional hurt, as she like many others had not expected Luke to act out in the way he did. Even though she and Luke had grown apart, Vanessa practically grew up with the sons of Hermes. To her, it probably felt like a brother had betrayed her family. After the camp was cleaned up she locked herself in her room for an entire day- refusing to come out until the lock to her room was picked and the brothers gave her the option of coming out on her own or being carried out. Vanessa was seen again as one of the campers who accompanies Percy, when they went to defend Olympus. She also stood by the Stoll brothers when Hermes appeared, reassuring them by squeezing their hands. Connor later states to Percy and Tyson that he was surprised she came to help them as she didn't have to go, since her mother's family didn't live on Olympus. When asked why she fought, Vanessa explained that she wanted to defend the mountain anyway for two reasons. The first being that Olympus was the home to her best friend's family members, and the second being she wanted in on the action. Vanessa also helped the children of Apollo who tended to the wounded, by putting those in severe pain into a light-slumber as they were healed to numb their senses of what was going on while Travis's band raided the drug store for medicine. 'Personality: ' Sassy, sarcastic, opinionated- and with just the right amount of both book and street smarts to back up what she says, Vanessa oftentimes gives off either the appearance of a fun-loving mischief-maker. A wildcard by nature, her dry and witty sense of humor is oftentimes weaved into most of her conversations with others, unless things call for a more serious atmosphere. Vannessa cares deeply for those she is attatched to, and will go to great lengths to protect them. More than anything, she values her freedom as a person above all, and won't hesitate to stand up to someone who gets in the way of that. Vannessa enjoys watching others, and oftentimes her guess's of what they think or feel in a room are accurate. Around the people she cares for, she is shown to lower her guard and is usually a very playful and fun-loving person until she is angry. Vannessa tries to avoid conflicts- despite her tendancy to wind up being involved in either one of Travis or Connor's grand schemes, however she has a "flip-side" temperament that you don't want to brush against. On those rare occassions when severly angered, she becomes colder, more cruel, and oftentimes smiles when she is very angered at something/someone. Several members of the Ares cabin have dubbed her the nickname of "Titania the Ice Queen"- after the strong-willed queen of fairies from the Shakespear play. There are very few in the camp who challenge Vannessa-even Clarisse La Rue has been known to avoid her if she looks upset. The fact that Camp half-blood's top two trickster's are quick to defend her is also a good reason to keep a safe distance when she's upset, otherwise, depending on how serious she's angered, you might wind up with a bunkroll full of shaving cream or nightmares for a week. 'Fatal Flaw: ' ' '''Vannessa's fatal flaw stems from a mix of excessive personal loyalty and curiosity towards her powers. Vannessa wishes to learn more about her powers in order to protect her friends. However, as the daughter of the goddess of Night, she can't help but be drawn to the wilder side of things- and this includes her temper as well. If she sees or hears something has happened, ESPECIALLY to someone she loves- she will want to know about it. And she will want to handle it in her own way, no matter how far or how hard she hast to go, or what the risk to herself may be. She would sacrifice everything for her friends, or even a stranger, provided she found that person interesting-which is really the only difference between her and others who have this fatal flaw. If she feels someone else can handle the situation, or feels the person she is contemplating on saving is a danger, she won't step in to help. 'Appearance: ' When she was first brought to camp, she was emaciatingly thin, her eyes were dull and sunken, and had bruises from the restraints the doctors used to keep her tied down during the surgeries. She could barely walk three steps without having to be supported. Her hair was short and scruffy, as if someone had just been taking a razor and hacking it off to keep it from growing. Her hair had to be cut again before it could be properly washed and cleaned. Hermes mentioned that Chiron was especially worried about the young child, and he had to admit that he was too, as no five-year-old should look that broken. Over the years, and with proper nourishment on top of her training, Vanessa's body healed and matured for the better. She is older than Percy but is younger than Travis. At the beginning of the series, she is already fifteen-so she is very likely several months older than the main lead roles (Percy and Annabeth.) Vannessa is approximately 5'8 in height, and has a slender yet curvy hourglass figure. She works out regularly, and overal is in very good shape. Like her mother, she is noted in the present for being both beautiful yet terrifying at times. Her hair is long and straight, going down to about her hips in multiple layers- starting with the side bangs at her eyes, another layer just past her chin, a third layer at her chest, and the final layer going down her back that curls slightly. Vanessa rarely cuts her hair, although from time to time she'll add in a wild color like blue or purple to it. Her hair color is a natural dark black with some lighter brown highlights mixed in. Her eye color is a piercing saphire-sky blue, although they are shown to turn violet when she is upset. Because of her hair and eye color and fair skin, the members of the Hermes cabin took to calling her "Lizzy" when she was first brought to camp, after the actress Elizabeth Taylor, and since Elizabeth is Vanessa's middle name. Vanessa used to be dressed in nothing but white at the institue in which she was kept. Because of the memory that particular shade brings back to her of her time spent in the clinic, she prefers to wear the opposite, and took on wearing dark colors- or colors with black to compliment them. She also has a habit of "borrowing" clothes from some of her male friends, though none of them mind. She has an aversion to very "girly" clothes, as she believes a dress would hinder her in a fight, although she will dress up once in awhile for special occasions or holidays. If she has altered her appearance, Vanessa tried to mimic the person she is copying as much as possible, and will often steal their clothes to complete the disguise. 'Powers and Abilities: ' Vanessa, as a demi-god, has these abilities and traits: '*Umbrakinesis-'The ability to mentally generate and manipulate darkness and deactivated photons in the absence of light. One with this ability can deactivate and repulse or travel through shadows by creating deactivated photons into a dark version of a portal. Vanessa can also use it to create barriers, use shadows to make herself seem invisible, and surround enemies in a lightless space. As Vanessa is the daughter of the Goddess of night, it is natural that she can use this abilty. '*ADHD-'Like other demi-gods, Vanessa has ADHD. This supernatural alertness keeps her senses keen and ready for battle. It also lets her analyze her opponent's fighting style and pick up on minor details about an opponent, such as where their muscles tense so she can predict where their attack will come from. This is a general trait among all demi-gods. '*Dyslexia-'Vanessa's brain is "hard-wired" for reading divine Ancient Greek instead of mortal languages. She has also learned some Latin and Classical Roman over the years. '*Night empowerment-''' Like her mother, Vanessa's powers reach there full potential once the sun sets or she is in dark places (I.E- the Underworld). '*Shadow Mimicry- '''She can morph any part of her body or her entire body into(living) darkness/shadows-and appear totally invisible. '*Shapeshifting- 'like many of Nyx's offspring, Vanessa can change her appearance at will, however she can only maintain this ability if she knows the physical appearance of the person or animal she is mimicking. '*Astral projection- 'When asleep, Vanessa can travel into others dreams and in different forms-unlike the children of Hypnos however, she cannot always view a person's memories on her own, and needs the person's permission to let her see them of their own will. Through some quirk, when this happens- the person allowing her to read their memories can catch glimpses of Vanessa's own memories in this state. Hypnos speculated once that it was because she has not had proper training in memory-seeing. '*Flight-''' Vanessa was born with a pair of fully functioning wings, granting her the ability to fly. '*Fighting Skills-' Vanessa is a natural at hand-to-hand and aerial combat attacks. She also wields a sword expertly well, enough to stand on her own against, and even defeat, larger and more experienced opponents.Her Greek training combined with her above-average speed creates an unpredictable fighting style that makes her a one-of-a-kind fighter. '*Abnormal strength, speed, and agility- '''While she would rather sit back and enjoy the show, when things are serious, Vanessa has been shown to be extremely quick and agile. These increased physical abilities may be on account of following the same training routine as the children of Hermes for so long, or possibly an after-result of one of the last drugs she was given inside Rutledge. '*Ability to communicate with Nocturnal beings- '''While Vanessa cannot completely control nocturnal animals as her mother can, she seems to be able to communicate with certain species to a degree. She can also reason with nocturnal supernaturals to an extent.